Charlie Day's Speech

Why Charlie Day's Rousing 2014 Commencement Speech Was Spot-On

But the more arduous path, the road less traveled, that's the route that's infinitely more rewarding. Put yourself in Charlie Day's shoes for a moment. Think of how he must have felt after taking that gamble… and then defying the odds and succeeding. That feeling, smiling that initial victorious smile, that's one of life's simple pleasures — one that I think we all deserve to feel at some point.

Aside from always betting on yourself, Charlie also advocated against having a plan B. And, while most pragmatic people would categorize that as awful advice, I actually agree wholeheartedly. If you're one of those people who wants something so bad that you can taste it, whether you're an aspiring actor, designer, athlete, writer, teacher, surgeon, musician, comedian — whatever you've always wanted to become — don't give yourself an out. I firmly believe that your life's ambition shouldn't come with a metaphorical safety school. Because when you do wind up failing to the point of redundancy, and in most instances you will, you'll likely take that out. In case of an emergency, you'll break that glass. You'll chalk it up as, "Welp, I tried," and then move on to the far more attainable goal.

But imagine how you'd feel reaching your initial goal after falling on your face so many times, after being told it's probably never going to happen. Genuinely visualize that for a moment. Daydream. That feeling, that win, that's why cultivating a plan B can suck. Is it sensible? Sure. But is it fulfilling? Allow yourself the ability to fall down, but always get back up.

And, of course, if you're a 46-year-old, 300-pound woman and your dream is to win the Stanley Cup, take what I'm saying with a big, fat freaking grain of salt. In that instance, yours is a fantasy, not a goal. But if what you want in life is in any way feasible, even if it’s a 1% shot, don't quit. Don't hit the blinker and blissfully merge onto the easy road. Charlie Day didn't. And if you watch that speech, if you hear him talk for even one minute, you get a sense that he's profoundly happy in life. Good for him. He put in the work. He deserves to reap the rewards.

Watch the speech in its entirety. Perhaps you'll take something away from it. Maybe you won't. But if you're an ambitious person and you've yet to achieve your goal, if you haven't gotten your own personal win, if your It's Always In Sunny in Philadelphia moment has yet to happen, don't quit. There's something to be said for perseverance.